Archie T. Morrison School
PTO News
November 2005 www.gpvillage.com/morrison
The Thanksgiving Holiday will soon be here, a day of family and friends so dear.
A feast of turkey and gratitude abound, A day to remember, with love all around.
Thank you sweet children for blessing our lives, you brought us your families so generous in size.
So rest at day’s end with bellies so round, the purpose you give us, none better found.
Happy Thanksgiving to Our Morrison Family
Dates to Remember
November 4th 1st Grade Ice Cream Social November 17th Holiday fair meeting
November 8th PTO meeting November 18th PIP Math Carnival
November 15th 5th Grade Kick-Off Meeting
Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others ~ Cicero
October PTO Meeting – The 2005-2006 PTO budget was approved by all present at the October 11th meeting. New this year, any funds collected above budget will go toward updating the Audio Visual Equipment for the classrooms!
November’s PTO meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 8th at 7pm. Please come and enjoy refreshments after the meeting.
Pumpkin Fest at Town Hall- Morrison PTO had a very successful morning at the Town of Braintree's First Pumpkin GiveAway.Residents and friends were invited to donate to a charity of their choice and in turn received a pumpkin. 1,000 donated pumpkins were distributed. Morrison PTO’s festive table raised $100.00 was raised! Thank you to Darrin McAuliffe for setting up a fantastic day for our community!
Annual Halloween Costume Ball – The Halloween Ball was held October 21st at the Sons of Italy Hall in Quincy. Over 650 people joined in the fun, in costume, rocking out with DJ Jack Wyatt. Many thanks go to all who decorated the hall, provided goodies, and donated raffle items. A list of raffle winners is on the website. Congratulations! Through your generosity the PTO collected $821.00 at the raffle table! Remember, all money goes right back to the children through programs in the school. Thank you to the of the Sons of Italy Hall Charity Committee for their donation toward the rental of the hall.
Make A Difference Day- Morrison Helping Hands - On October 22nd, Morrison school participated in its second annual Make-A-Difference (MAD) day. More than 30 bags of gently used clothing were collected for the Kids' Clothes Closet run by Sunny Shaw. In addition, 18 boxes overflowing with books, video tapes, CD’s and DVD’s were collected for the Friends of theThayer Public Library.Thank you to everyone for your generosity. Thank you to Janice Weitbrecht for coordinating both efforts and to Kate Doherty, Paula Dunmire, Leigh Murphy and Lisa Jennings for their assistance in collecting, sorting and distributing the items. Please consider becoming a Helping Hands coordinator so that we canplanmore events like this.If you are interested please contact Janice Weitbrecht at .
Don't be afraid to see what you see. ~Ronald Reagan
Box Tops, Campbell Soup Labels and Tyson Project A+ Labels The first collection deadline was October 21st. The contest winner for the most Boxtops collected through the end of October will be announced soon. The child will receive a prize for the whole classroom to share. Remember to keep clipping and saving on a continuous basis as prizes will be awarded monthly. Each month a prize will be given in each category to the homeroom of the child who sends in the most Boxtops, Campbells or Tyson labels. The November prize will go to the child who has sent in the most Tyson labels since the last submission.
Shop online this holiday season, using www.boxtops4education.com to link to your favorite store and a percentage of your purchase will be donated to our school.
Snack Shack at Town Meeting- On October 24th and 25th the Morrison PTO had the privilege of running the snack shack at Town Meeting held at East Jr. High. Home baked goodies, sandwiches, drinks and chips were sold to Town Meeting members. A grand total of $302.01 was raised. Thank you to Geraldine Gardner for spearheading this event along with all her volunteers for their time and talent. Wewere very grateful for the opportunity to hold this event.
Classroom Communication Network- CNN---There will be a Classroom Coordinator meeting held in mid November which will begin the process of contacting volunteers who have completed the CORI process. Remember, all volunteers must have a CORI check and have a valid I.D. photocopied by Mrs. Petrelli, our school secretary. CORI’s are valid for 3 years. Thank you for all your generous support.
Together we make a difference in our children’s education!
Membership update- To date we have a total of 153 Morrison families and staff that have submitted forms and donations to the PTO. Our PTO drive is ongoing. Contact Beth Doherty for more information.
Reimbursement Policy – Anyone needing reimbursement for purchases for the PTO can complete a request form which is available in the teacher’s lounge on the cork board or by emailing Beth Doherty at . Attach all receipts to the form and place in the PTO Treasurer’s box in the office.
Staples’ Recycle for Education- The deadline for the Staples Recycle for Education program is rapidly approaching. Please send in all ink cartridges and toners in by November, 1st so that they can be counted and shipped in time to meet the November 6th deadline. Remember, the local school that collects the most eligible cartridges will win a $5000 check delivered by a New England Patriots Player!
Upcoming Events
.1st Grade Social - . The 1st grade social will be held on Friday, November 4th from 6:30pm to 7:30pm in the cafetorium. Younger siblings are welcome. We will have ice cream, a scarecrow craft and face painting. Admission is turkey gravy, instant potatoes, and especially cranberry sauce for The Marge Crispin Center’s Thanksgiving food baskets. Any 5th graders who would like to face paint or parents who would like to scoop ice cream can contact Mrs. Kephart @ 781-849-7866.
A gift in season is a double favor to the needy. ~ Publilius Syrus
Fifth Grade Kick off Meeting- 5th grade parent volunteers are needed to coordinate a number of activities in honor of our outgoing class of 2006. The 5th Grade Week Kick-off Meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 15th at 7:00pm in the media center. Each activity will be outlined and committees will begin to form at this meeting. If you are unable to attend the meeting and would like to join a committee or help out in some other way please contact Lisa Heger at or (781) 356-4349.
Holiday Fair-Please mark your calendar for Friday, December 2nd for our annual holiday fair. Parents and guardians are welcome to come the day of the fair to shop with your children during their scheduled class shopping time. A schedule will be sent home shortly. This year we will be holding our first night time fair from 6:30 – 8:00 pm. Family members and friends are welcome to come see what our fair is all about! Morrison Apparel and Notepads will be available for sale at the Holiday Fair.
The next planning meeting will be held on Thursday November 17th at 9:00 am and 7:00 pm
at the school. Volunteers are also needed the day and evening of the fair. Contact Amy Carnicelli at . Interested in donating items for the Raffle Table? Please contact Colleen McDonnell at 781-848-6816 or .
PIP Math Carnival – The Parent Involvement Program is hosting a math carnival at the Town Hall on Friday, November 18th from 6:30 to 8:30pm. There will be fun math games with a clown, a juggler, popcorn and fun. Anyone interested in volunteering please contact Julie McKinney at (781) 843-2454. See details at the PIP website www.parentinvolvementprogram.org
PIP Evening Of Giving Tickets- PIP is selling Evening Of Giving tickets to a private shopping experience to be held on Sunday, November 20th at the South Shore Plaza. Tickets are $10. The proceeds of $7 go to PIP and $3 to the Simon Foundation, which supports GED education and career planning for students. Are you interested? Bring your friends to this festive evening! Send your $10 to PIP, 304 Liberty Street, Braintree, Ma. 02184. Thank you for your support.
We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give ~ Sir Winston Churchill
Fundraiser Update –The fundraiser items will arrive prior to Thanksgiving. A Connect-Ed Message will go out notifying you of delivery dates and times for pickup at the school. Thank you to everyone who participated. Online orders can be placed at Innisbrook.com using our school #103331 all year long. The school will continue to receive a portion of all sales online. Remember, donations to the Morrison PTO in lieu of purchasing fundraiser items are always welcome.
Congratulations to Joe Souza in Mrs. Zopatti’s classroom!!!!
Joe was our lucky winner of the Ipod Shuffle! Enjoy the tunes, Joe!
Family Fun Corner – The following are some special family events all are welcome to attend. To keep up to date with local happenings, check out www.gpvillage.com/morrison under Family Fun Corner.
Friday November 11 -
There will be a Veteran’s Day Ceremony at East Middle School at 9:30 am.
The official ceremonies begin at 10:30 am.
Now Through November 26 –
Plimouth Plantation will be hosting a “Harvest Dinner with the Pilgrims”.
For more information about the dinner and other seasonal happenings,
call 1-800-262-9536 or www.plimouth.org
Saturday November 19 -
Turkey Trot for Kids will be held at noon at Marshfield High School located on Furnace
Street. Participants from 3-13 years old compete in a 100 yard dash to win prizes such as frozen
Turkeys and trophies and will also be eligible to win a variety of raffle prizes.
For more information call 781-837-1579.
Thursday November 26 –
Braintree High Athletic Assn 5K Run/Walk at Braintree High School 8:00 am
Braintree High School Football game at Milton 10:00 am
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